According to Marty, the former „Red-Green“ German government coalition under Gerhard Schroeder (SPD) and Joseph Fisher (The Greens) cooperated systematically with the US secret services, particularly the CIA. The special reporter presented evidence using the case of the torture victim, el-Masri, and also details about the basic cooperation between the government agencies – Khaled el-Masri and Murat Kurnaz, who could not be found guilty of anything. Still in January 2007, the German media was up in arms about el-Masri: „How did this Lebanese get to be a German?,““

(Own report) – With the appointment of a foreign minister, who is under heavy criticism for his stance on human rights, the new German government is preparing a global policy offensive. According to the CDU/SPD Coalition Agreement, the government is more determined than ever to help „shape international policy“ and play „a strong autonomous role.“ Counting on the EU, to couple more tightly its „civilian and military instruments“ to intervene globally, the German government will promote EU foreign and military policy at the summit in Brussels later this week. Designated Foreign Minster, Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD), has been actively involved in Berlin’s geopolitical climb since he became the Chancellery’s coordinator of the German intelligence services in 1998. In 2001, he became Chief of Staff of the Federal Chancellery and played a central role in the German/US-American coordination in the „War on Terror,“ which had initially consisted of the abduction and torture of terror suspects. For this, Steinmeier has been repeatedly under criticism – without effect. He will once again preside over the foreign ministry.

The Foreign Minister’s Career

With the exception of the last four years of the conservative liberal coalition (2009 – 2013), Frank-Walter Steinmeier has been involved in shaping Berlin’s foreign policy in various government functions since 1998. In November 1998 – as State Secretary in the Federal Chancellery – he was first appointed coordinator of the German intelligence services. The Federal Intelligence Service (BND) was also part of his responsibility after his rise to Chief of Staff of the Federal Chancellery in July 1999. In the Chancellery, Steinmeier was involved not only in all major German foreign policy operations; he participated as well in the elaboration of the „Agenda 2010,“ which also enabled Germany to achieve economic predominance in the EU. (german-foreign-policy.com reported.[1]). In 2005, Steinmeier was appointed foreign minister of the ensuing Grand Coalition. He will once again preside over the foreign ministry.

Intelligence Services Coordinator

Already the war against Yugoslavia in March 1999, which helped cement German predominance in southeastern Europe, was inextricably linked to Steinmeier’s activities. Under his supervision, the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) supported the terrorist KLA, which, during the NATO invasion, had, in fact, operated as the ground forces in Kosovo for the Western war alliance. In contradiction to available intelligence information, Steinmeier tolerated the German government’s war propaganda: As one insider wrote, concerning the BND’s Kosovo situation reports, at that time, the BND evaluated „many of the horror stories of alleged mass graves and Serb atrocities to be intelligence disinformation“ aimed simply „at facilitating policy-making.“[2] As the Chancellery’s Intelligence Coordinator – including also for the BND – Steinmeier must have been aware of this. During his time as Chief of Staff of the Federal Chancellery, other intelligence scandals arose in Kosovo, for example, when in 2004, a BND informant helped organize riots.[3] None of this has even come close to being clarified.

„Anti-Terrorism“ Cooperation

Germany’s first major military-intelligence activity beyond Europe – the participation in the war on Afghanistan and the „War on Terror“ – is also intrinsically tied to Steinmeier’s work in Berlin’s Chancellery. Not only was the Bundeswehr’s most comprehensive foreign deployment – at the Hindu Kush – part of this cooperation, but Berlin also beefed up German cooperation with US-American intelligence services, to the point of open complicity in abductions and torture of terror suspects. This occurred primarily under the responsibility of the then incumbent Chief of Staff of the Chancellery, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.[4] Steinmeier is accused of having deliberately delayed for several years, the liberation of a German citizen from US torture chambers in Guantanámo – offered by Washington -without ever having to pay the consequences.[5] During his term as foreign minister, he supported German cooperation in the „War on Terror“ even when, in 2007, the „abductions phase“ transitioned to the „targeted killings phase,“ using killer drones, as has been recently reported.[6]

Shaping the World Together

With the termination of the Bush era and, following years of reliable cooperation within the framework of NATO’s „Mutual Defense Clause“ [7], officially declared October 4, 2001, the German Foreign Minister saw the opportunity for Germany to assume a more important role in global politics. In an „Open Letter“ to US President Obama in January 2009, Steinmeier declared that „no country in the world, not even the most powerful one“ can „solve the current global problems alone.“ One must instead operate „together“, meaning that „the USA and Europe must closely cooperate.“ Only by providing „common answers to the questions of the future,“ one can be successful. „Together, we can also shape the world in the 21st century.“[8]

Germany’s Growth in Power

Following the recent federal elections, the foreign policy establishment has been focusing on the call for a more resolute German international policy. With his speech on the occasion of the national holiday, President Joachim Gauck gave the starting signal, when he called for a „strong German role“ in „Europe and the world.“[9] This call was soon followed by a paper jointly published by the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), the Foreign Ministry and German foreign policy experts, underscoring Germany’s „growth in power“ and new „opportunities for influence,“ demanding a „re-evaluation“ of its global policy.[10] The media followed with the publication of quotes from a CDU/SPD foreign policy strategy paper, in which the two parties declared that Germany should „actively help shape the international order“ and should be „at the ready“ for all kinds of interventions throughout the world.[11] All foreign and military means of the EU should be used.

Civilian and Military

This is reinforced in the current coalition agreement, which states that the EU must „help to shape international policy“ in the 21st Century and thereby „take on a more autonomous role.“ Military measures are openly being planned in. It states that the parties in Berlin’s government will campaign for „the further coupling of the European Union’s civilian and military instruments“ as well as for organizing all conceivable means of intervention – „civilian and military“ – more effectively. Berlin has begun to apply pressure. For example, the coalition agreement explicitly declares that it is intended to „take new political initiatives toward the reinforcement and elaboration of common foreign and security policy, in connection with the EU’s December 2013 summit meeting.“ The EU summit meeting, focusing on the EU’s military policy, will begin this Thursday in Brussels.[12]

The EU’s Credibility

As a matter of course, Berlin will continue to use humanitarian – human rights to justify its global hegemonic claims. As the coalition agreement remarks, „in its international missions for human rights, the credibility of the European Union is largely dependent upon how consequently it lives up to its principles and punishes violations on its own territory.“[13] The appointment of a foreign minister, who is controversial because of his role in Germany’s cooperation in torture by the USA’s services, speaks volumes.

Details
Published on Tuesday, 24 December 2013 17:21
Written by BC & Agencies

ukraine

Ukraine has banned entry to former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili and 35 other foreigners suspected of working with the opposition „to destabilise“ the country amid mass pro-EU protests, a report said Tuesday.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry and the security service have declared Saakashvili, 29 other Georgians, five US citizens and one Serb as persona non grata, the Kommersant Ukraine daily reported.

The banned Georgians are mostly businessmen while the US citizens blacklisted are NGO members and academics. Various Balkan media outlets report that the Serbian citizen is Marko Ivković „who was in a team which collaborated in revolution and overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic.“

According to the Kommersant, the decision was made at the request of Oleg Tsarev, a lawmaker from the ruling Regions Party who feared „frequent visits of foreign political consultants.“

„Their activities are posing a threat to national security,“ he said in his appeal to authorities, attaching a list of „persons who could represent the political interests of other countries.“

Contacted by AFP, neither the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) or the foreign ministry could confirm the information.

But on Friday, the Ukrainian authorities briefly detained and then deported a Georgian journalist from Rustavi 2 television station, David Kakulia, who was covering demonstrations in the Ukrainian capital Kiev.

Rustavi 2 has a reputation of being sympathetic to Saakashvili, who led Georgia’s own 2003 Rose Revolution and personally visited the protests on Independence Square in Kiev. Having studied in Kiev, Saakashvili also speaks excellent Ukrainian.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s decision to scrap key trade and political agreements with the European Union has plunged the ex-Soviet country into its most acute political crisis since the pro-democracy Orange Revolution in 2004….

Liberec – New Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko will face a difficult situation now that the country is threatened with bankruptcy, civil war and Russian invasion, Czech President Milos Zeman said at a meeting with students in Liberec today.

Up to now, Ukraine has been controlled by various groups of gangsters who enriched themselves through a number of dubious operations, including illegal siphoning off gas from pipelines, Zeman said.

„Of course, there were also groups that did not shun contractual murders. For example, Yulia Tymoshenko, the pretty blonde with plaits, was publicly accused of having hired killers for 20 contractual murders. This is a usual way of communication between local politicians,“ Zeman said, referring to Ukraine.